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Issyk-Kul Oblast
Issyk-Kul Oblast (Kyrgyz: Ысык-Көл областы) is a province (oblast) of the Kyrgyz Republic. Its capital is Karakol. It is surrounded by Almaty Province, Kazakhstan (north), Chuy Oblast (west), Naryn Oblast (southwest) and Xinjiang, China (southeast). Geography left|thumb|250px|Issyk-Kul at sundown in the Terskey Alatau mountains]] The north is dominated by the eye-shaped Issyk-Kul Lake, surrounded by the ridges of the Tian Shan mountain system: the Kyungey Ala-Too mountains to the north and the Terskey Alatau to the south (the 'sunny' and 'shady' Alatau, respectively). To the south is mountains and 'jailoos' (mountain meadows used for summer grazing). The highest peaks of the Tian Shan mountains, including Khan Tengri, are located in the easternmost part of the province. Most of the population of the province lives around the lake, in particular in the cities of Balykchy near the lake's western end, and Karakol near its eastern end. Basic Socio-Economic Indicators * Population: 437,200 (assessment for 1 January 2009) including 28.7% - urban, and 71.3% - rural populationNational Committee on Statistics (in Kyrgyz/Russian) * Employed population: 180,300 (2008) National Committee on Statistics (in Kyrgyz/Russian) * Registered unemployed population: 4,902 (2008)National Committee on Statistics (in Kyrgyz/Russian) * Export: 18.8 million US dollars (2008)National Committee on Statistics (in Kyrgyz/Russian) * Import: 221.7 million US dollars (2008) * Direct Foreign Investments: 1,1 million US dollars (in 2008)National Committee on Statistics (in Kyrgyz/Russian) Demographics As of 2009, Issyk-Kul Oblast included 3 towns, 5 urban-type settlements, and 175 villages. Its de facto and permanent population, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2009, was 425,116 and 438,389 correspondingly. }} Ethnic composition According to the 2009 Census, the ethnic composition (de jure population) of Issyk-Kul Oblast was: Transportation The railroad coming from the northwest (from Bishkek) ends at Balykchy. The main highway (A365) from Bishkek passes through Balykchy and into Naryn Oblast on its way to the Torugart Pass into China. Highway A363 circles the lake and A362 runs east from the lake into Kazakhstan. Issyk-Kul International Airport and Karakol International Airport link the Province with Almaty in Kazakhstan. Cholpon-Ata Airport and Tamga Airport have no regular flights. Tourism )]] The province, which resembles the Alps or Colorado, would be a major tourist destination were it not for its remoteness, underdeveloped infrastructure, and growing conflict between Kyrgyz nationalists and independence factions, which in December 2008 flared up again, killing 39 civilians. Currently, it is visited mostly by locals who use the Soviet-era establishments around the lake and the more adventurous sort of international tourist. Trivia There is a village by the name of Kyzyldzhildyz in this province. Its name is hard enough to pronounce for foreigners to the language that the village's mayor has offered a reward for any American that can pronounce "Kyzyldzhildyz". Rayons of Issyk-Kul Oblast in Tamchy Village, Issyk-Kul Oblast|thumb|right]] Issyk Kul Oblast is divided administratively into 5 rayons:Kyrgyzstan - Джалал-Абадская область References *Laurence Mitchell, Kyrgyzstan, Bradt Travel Guides, 2008 External links * Guide to the region from the Spektator magazine * Karakol - Djeti-Oguz region in Central Tien-Shan (Mountaineering reports and maps. Although the site is in English, with some web browsers you may need to set "Character Encoding" to "Cyrillic" in the "View" menu of your browser in order to get better display of the main page). |Northeast = |East = |Southeast = Xinjiang, China |South = |Southwest = Naryn Oblast |West = |Northwest = Chuy Oblast }} Category:Issyk-Kul Oblast Category:Oblasts of the Kyrgyz Republic